Eric Hinkle

Eric Hinkle
Information
Gender	Male
Also known as	Ungast (dark side)
Hair color	Brown
Species	Human (wizard)
Powers	Wizard powers
Affiliation	Princess Keeah Jaffa City
First appearance	The Hidden Stairs and the Magic Carpet
Last appearance	Knights of the Ruby Wand The Final Quest (special edition series)

1. Eric Hinkle is the main protagonist of The Secrets of Droon. He, along with his friends Neal Kroger and Julie Rubin, discovered the rainbow stairs–stairs that serve as a link between Droon and the Upper World–beneath Eric's basement. The three of them battle alongside Princess Keeah, Galen Longbeard, and Max the spider-troll against Lord Sparr, his Ninns, and later Emperor Ko and his beasts.

Description

Eric is a ten-year-old boy who is the main protagonist of the children's book series, The Secrets of Droon. He wears glasses and gains wizard powers from his friend Princess Keeah. He can shoot silver lightning bolts from his fingertips and have visions of the future (previously, he was only able to shoot blue sparks like other trainee wizards). Eric can read old languages in Droon.

Eric lost his wizard powers when using Salamandra's staff, but when Eric and Keeah are sent into the future they meet their older versions there: the elder Princess Keeah is now Queen Keeah and the elder Eric is now Prince Eric. Eric, Princess Keeah, Queen Keeah, Captain Bludge and five Ninns get into Ko's layer, formerly Jaffa City. Then they free Prince Eric, but while they are getting out, Ko and his guards attack. Eric has to get the Ring of Midnight and right then he gets his wizard powers back. With his powers, he manages to defeat his attackers and saves the Ring, after which Eric and Keeah go back into the present.

Later, he gets wounded by one of Ko's cursed icicles and falls unconscious, (he was stabbed while protecting Galen.) Then Gethwing the moon dragon awakens Eric's dark side and turns him into the dark prince Ungast, but Eric is awakened to his good side temporarily by Keeah. Julie, Neal, and Keeah find a permanent cure for Ungast's possession of Eric and feed it to him.

Relationships

Eric has been best friends with Neal (who lives down the street from him) and Julie (who also lives reasonably nearby) since kindergarten when they got stuck in a tree together. Since then, they have all been in the same classes and summer camps.

Eric and Keeah also become fast friends, and, according to the future displayed in Special Edition 5. Moon Magic, they eventually marry.

Galen initally takes on more of a "wise old man" role towards Eric, but by Flight of the Blue Serpent, they acknowledge their friendship as equals.

Eric and Sparr have a complicated relationship. Although they initially hate each other, Sparr feels the need to preserve Eric's life (he claims that Eric is "one of us" in and cites it as one reason why he has not killed Eric yet). Also, when the Coiled Viper splits Sparr into Young Sparr and Shadowface, Eric and Young Sparr have no problems allying. After the two versions of Sparr reunite, he feels no need to antagonize Eric and retreats, donating the Twilight Star. Even after Gethwing converts Sparr to his side, Sparr cooperates with Eric again in Special Edition 8. The Final Quest.

The series hints throughout that Eric and Urik, as well as Eric and Queen Zara, are connected. As examples, Eric somehow owns the Pearl Sea (an artifact that Urik created), the Wand of Urik keeps coming back to Eric, Hoja calls Eric "Urik", and Eric feels the same pain whenever he mentions Zara's name as Galen and Sparr (Queen Zara's sons) do. The examples accumulate when Eric's mother inadvertently reveals that her great-great-grandfather shares life details with the Prince of Stars, a likely candidate for Urik at this point in the series, and was the one who gave Eric the Pearl Sea. Only the last book in the series, Special Edition 8. The Final Quest, reveals that Urik is indeed Eric's great-great-great-grandfather (and Zara is therefore his great-great-great-great-grandmother). Ironically, Eric saves his ancestor's life(note that The Final Quest also confirms that Urik was the "Prince of Stars").

Background

Early Life

As a very young child, Eric witnessed Keeah and her aunt Demither hide the Coiled Viper in the Upper World, the third of Sparr's Three Powers.

At three years old, Eric received the Pearl Sea from an old version of Urik.

The Hidden Stairs and the Magic Carpet

During Eric's first adventure in Droon, he, Neal, and Julie meet Princess Keeah. They also learn about Groggles and Ninns. They help save Keeah from the city of Plud, but Lord Sparr finds the Red Eye of Dawn at the end.

Journey to the Volcano Palace

Eric, Julie and Neal are called back to Droon. They need to help Keeah and Max get back the Red Eye. They learn that Sparr has been cursed into monster form by an accident.